Assembler for line casting machines



April 29, 1947- E. E. vALM ASSEMBLER FOR LINE CASTING MACHINES Filed Jan.' 5, 1944 2 sheets-sheet 1 5 vif U 7 April 29, 1947.' E. E. ALM

ASSEMBLEE FOR LINE CASTING MACHINES Filed Jan. V5, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l HL' Patented Apr. 29, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT oFElcE ASSEMBLEE FOR LINE CASTING MACHINES Einar Erik Alm, Stockholm, Sweden Application January 5, 1944, Serial No. 517,101 In Sweden February 5, 1941 This invention relates to an assembler for line casting machines, comprising two parallel matrix assembling rails located at diierent levels, the rail located at the higher level being displaceable along its own plane and consisting of two parts, one of said parts being in the form of a slide displaceable along said last named rail in a manner such that in one end position said slide being adapted to receive matrices, while in its other end position it permits matrices of falling down and remaining in an upright position on the lower rail.

The invention has for its object to facilitate alternate setting up of different characters and to render possible transition from one type of characters to another one by actuating a single lever without the necessity of manual displacement of matrices and without necessity for the operator to pay particular attention'to the assembler when shifting from one type of characters to the other one.

This and further objects, I attain by mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

in which- Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the assembler; Fig. 2 a side elevation of the assembler with the upper rai1 out of engagement, viewed from the right ofv Fig. 1; Fig. 3 a view similar to Fig. 2 with the upper rail in operative position; Fig. 4

a plan view of the assembler with the upper railI in the position shown in Fig. 2;Fig. 5 a plan view of the assembler with the upper rail in the operative position according to Fig. 3; Fig. 6 a plan view of the assembler with the slide in a displaced position for setting up roman characters; Fig. '7 a similar view with the parts in a, position which should not be used during the setting up operation; Figs. 8-11 part of the assembler with different positions of the slide for setting up roman and italic characters in an alternate manner; and Fig. 12 a viewillustrating the movable connection between one end portion of the slide and the appertaining rail.

Referring to the drawings, the frame I of the matrix assembler ismade integral with a fixed rail 2 for the roman position of the matrices. Above and parallel tothe rail 2 there is located a movable rail 4 for assembling matrices in the italic position, said rai1 4 being disposed. between the frame I anda plate 3 secured to the 6 Claims. (Cl. 199-29) frame. The rail 4 is displaceable along its own plane by meansof a lever 'I which together with arms 6.and 8 is mounted on a shaft 9, the lever 1 and the arms B and. 8 being movably connected with the upper rail 4, By turning the lever 1,

2 the rail can be brought either into the inoperative position shown in Figs. 2 and 4 or into the operativev position shown in Figs. 3 and5.

In accordance with this invention, that'portion of the upper rail 4 on which matrices may be collected, is in the form of a slide 5 displaceable to and fro along the rai1 4.v To this end, an arm I3 provided with a lever I2 is Vmounted on a pin I I rsecured to the rail 4, said arm I3 being adapted to engage a projection I4 of the slide 5. A torsiona1 spring 22 wound around-the pin I I serves to keep the arm I3 in its proper positions. When the lever I2A is turned to the right from the position shown in Fig. 5, the arm I3 will be turned such as to permit the slide 5 of being displaced towards the left into the position shown in Fig. 6. Said displacement which is assisted by a spring I5 inserted between the members 4 and 5, takes place substantially through the action of matrices as they are set up,

as will be more clearly described hereinbelow. When the lever I2 is turned back into the position shown in Fig. 5, the arm I3 acts upon the projection I4 such as to displace the slide 5 into the position shown in Fig. 5. At the displacement of the slide 5, a thinned end portion I6 thereof will slide above a correspondingly lowered face I'I of the rail 4 (Fig. 12). With the parts in 'the positions shown in Fig. 5, said thinned endportion I6 constitutes a bridge over the space between the members 4 and 5 and thereby prevents matrices assuming italic positions from falling` down into roman positions. At the opposite end, the slide 5 has an upwardly projecting lip I8 on the inside of which the matrices are falling down as they are being set up. In the vposition shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the lip I8 is located in a recess 23 provided in the plate 3. The rai1 4 has a similar lip 24 which in the position according to Figs. 3 and 5 is disposed in the recess 23 and thereby prevents thin matrices from getting stuck in the recess, whichotherwise might occur when the.

slide 5 begins to move towards the position according to Fig. 6. Below the thinned portion I6, the slide 5 has a projection 25 engaging a recessed portion 23 provided in the rai1 4, as will be seen from Figs. 4-7. Thelast-named projection and recess in connection with the other` abutting places between the slide 5 4and therail 4 serve as a guide for the slide together with the tension of the spring I5. As shown in Fig.` 7, said guide means permit a certain turning movement of the slide 5 out of its parallel position with respect to the rail 4. Said turning movement will occur when the rail 4 is moved into its inoperthe slide having a certain possibility of turning movement. In the position shown in Fig. 7, the' assembler should not be operated. If. the lever, I2

is moved to the left from the position according to Fig, 7, the slide 5 returns to the position shown in Fig. 4 with the lip I8 located.'in'"therecess*23;.

of the plate 3. This movement is facilitated-by?,

the pressure of the arm I3 against a shoulderZS at the projection I4. On the lower side'of the plate 3, there is provided a recess 2 which in u su'ch' a manner cooperateswith :alpin-28 inf-the.: slide '5,5 that the 'forwardedge 'of said'fsli'de due l to an excessive-- turning movement will not l'be forced into the assembler to a greater extent than that shown in Figs.- 3 to '7,'that is, the movement of fthe-slide in the direction lof the movementSo-f the-rail d'is limited by said pin and recess. A-.lip

I9h'aving a similar purpose as the-lip I8 is secured to the fixed 'rail '2 To the `right of said lips I B'and I 9,' a's-viewed'in Figs; 8"'to'11,l there is prol videdfa rotatable star wheel .2t/.the arms of which actuate the-matrices one after the V'other so as.

toforce the same inwardly and downwardly into. thel assembler, as they are set up. They first matrix in the; series labut's -against a -slidable supp'ortZIS Thedevice described above operates in 'the followingmannerv Inf-orderto set upmmatrices-inromanpositions only, the-upperfrail l issliifted4 toitsIinoperative-positionf according to Figs. 25

and 4, whileitsr position according-to Figs. 3 "and` 5"corresponds to' theitalic-'positins In order alternatelyitolset up Aromanfand italic charac ters; tlfif-roperationv may be started `with tl'ieerailV rin" the position shown in'-Flgs.- 3 'and 6i Matrices` enteringtheassembler will, in `thisA position; not behindered"bythe-rail 4 and the slidei-from assumingrom'an' positions, as showninFigL 8. If it isfdesir'edito change from romantodtalic position, the'flever' I2' is swungintothe position shown in Fig. 54with'the-result`A that the matrices will"b"e'placed on' the rail g@assuming italic position, asshown'in' Fig. 9; each matrixthenb'eingv fe'd into' the'clearancef'between the lipj' I8 andthe preceding -matrix by 'meansof the star wheel 2li. In order' toshiftl over to romanA positionthe lever' I2'is swung into thepositiona'ccordingto Fig 6; Due tothe'fa'ct that matrices arepresent ontherail/l, the'slide cannot immediately. assumethe position according to Fig.` 6, ,since the lip;l8"will abut against the last'matrix` setup in italicposition so'. as to stop the movement of the slide 5;.said; movement" being not greater than the sum cf'the'clearan'ceswhich might Ybe formed'l between the la'st matrices setup in the series, as will'beseen from .Fig.-10. The next matrix which. enterstlie' assembler will as usually abut against. theprec'eding matrix'inthe'italic position.. The star wheel 2 l) feeds the matrix into` the' assembler aslong'adi'stance as usual. However, since-.the lip' I8 at that timev due to the spring I5' abuts against' the last matrix setup in italic position and thus follows the movement of said matrix, the matrix entering the assembler williv slide downwardly into roman position outside the lip 4 I8, as indicated in Fig. 11. Due to the fact that the body of each matrix as a rule is wider than that portion thereof against which the lip I8 abuts, certain clearances will be formed, as shown in Figs. 8 to ll, said clearances facilitating the sliding movement of the matrix beyond the lip I8, which to this end may be somewhat bevelled, as shown in the drawing. It occurs, however, very seldom that-matrices are-'abutting each other at the place between roman and italic positions. Frequently, a clearance is formed at that place between two words by means of a justifying wedge;whichlabsolutely ensures that the next following. matrix will assume its proper position.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited.r to the 'construction described above which be modified in various ways without departing from .the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is:

l. An assembler for line casting machines comprisingfa-iixedf matrixassembling rail, a second-matrix-I assemblingY rail including a plate memberanda slide carriedthereby for longitudinal movement, means supporting said Second rail for lateral -movement between a retracted position and a projected operative position in which said slideis-over said first rail', and means for moving' saidY slide longitudinally between a matrix receiving position and an `inoperative positionwhen `saidsecond 'rail is in projected position; said last means comprising an arnrmounted4 on said plate member for pivotal movement'to displace the slide in one direction and a spring for displacing the slide inthe opposite direction.

2. An assembler for aline casting machineas recited inclaiml 1` wherein said spring-tendsto retain the slide `in inoperative-position,` and said arm moves said slide positively into matrix receiving-position.-

3.' Anf assembler-for a line casting-machine as recited in claim l, wherein th'e-slide-has an-upwardly projecting lip constituting an abutment for thefmatrices, and said'supporting meansv includes a fixed plate above said second' rail, said fixed plate'having-a recess1for receiving said slide lip-when said-secondira-il is moved into retracted position, and'said'plate member of the second rail has aa1lip' extending f across the`V entrance Y tothe recess1w-hensaid second'rail is in projected position.

41. In an vassemble-1' for aline-casting machine, theY combination withl a stationary frame having al slot therethrough-above a flxed--matrix-assembling rail,v uffa-*movable-l rail slidably mounted in said'slot; said movable railfcomprising-a plate member supportedin said: slotY for lateral movement between a1 retracted position and a projectedoperative position,- a slide movable laterally with'said plate member in saidslot and'movable independentlyfof said plate member in a longitudinal direction, and manuallyoperable means carried bysaid plate-member for movingv said slide longitudinally.

5; In an assembler forV a line casting machine, the invention as recited inv claim' 4 whereinsaid plate-member is cut-backfrom its inner-edge-to provide a recess in which the slide; is arranged,

the upper `surface-'of'y saidf slide being substantially. flush with that of the plate member, and said;

plate member and' slide having thin guide portions overlappingy at the` matrix discharge end' of' the railsto` form a bridge for the transfer, o fmatrices from the slide to the plate member.

6;,In anassembler for a linecastingmachine,

the invention as recited in claim 4 wherein said 5 6 plate member is cut back from its inner edge to y REFERENCES CITED provide a notched recess in which said slide is The following references are of record in the loosely arranged, said slide having a lportion eX- me `of this patent; tending into the notch of said plate member recess to connect the slide to the plate member 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS for lateral movement thereby and for independent Number Name Date longitudinal movement. 1,072,765 Neumayel' Sept. 9, 1913 1,701,579 Marlatt Feb. 12, 1929 EINAR ERIK ALM; 2,172,087 McKeel Sept. 5,l 1939 2,029,400 Walden Feb. 4, 1936 

